8 gay scuba diving trips and liveaboards not to miss in 2025/2026

In a nutshell

• Time of year: May
• Accommodation: Staying at the five-star Fiesta Americana Cozumel
• Diving: 5 days of morning drift dives
• Note: You can become PADI certified on this trip!

Crystal blue waters? Check! Luxurious accommodation? Check Check!! Fun-filled days spent diving and discovering undersea wildlife like turtles, nurse sharks, and thousands of fish with a bunch of gay guys? Check, check, check!!! 

Pack up your belongings and jet off to the Mexican island of Cozumel for some drift diving with the gay Undersea Expeditions team. This is one of our favorite kinds of diving. It’s where you let yourself be carried around by the ocean tide. It feels like the waters are choosing your adventure for you – and you never know what you might come across.

In a nutshell

• Time of year: June
• Gay Liveaboard onboard the Caribbean Explorer II with 18 guests max.
• Diving: Multiple sites from the ship's stern
• Note: You need to arrive in St. Maarten and leave from St. Kitts

Want to celebrate the 4^th of July in style? How does diving into the cool Caribbean waters off the coast of St. Kitts and Nevis sound? It definitely tops getting drunk in your hometown bar. Not only will you be basking in the summer sun, but you’ll be accompanied by a bunch of gay men. Talk about a party! Although this isn't as party-centric as one of the big gay cruises happening, it's a whole lot of fun!

UnderseaX’s 7-night gay scuba diving trip is sure to be an unforgettable experience. Hopping aboard the ship in St. Maarten, you’ll discover the incredible diving sites of Saba, as well as around St. Kitts and Nevis Islands.

The area is known for its mountainous landscapes, lush rainforests, and the green vervet monkey. Yet the underwater sites are just as fascinating. Shipwrecks, tropical fish, giant coral reefs, you name it. There is a whole new world to fall in love with.

In a nutshell

• Time of year: September
• Gay Liveaboard onboard the MV Asmaa with 20 guests max.
• Diving: Wall and reef-diving
• Note: All cabins are twin, no double beds

This Egypt gay diving trip calls itself “Simply the Best”, and if that isn’t an incentive enough to hop aboard, we don’t know what is! Who wouldn’t want to stay somewhere with the same name as a Tina Turner bop? 

You’ll be diving within the Red Sea's Marine Park Islands National Park, where you’ll enjoy wall diving along the corals and terrain that surrounds The Brother Islands. The “brothers” are the pinnacles of two underwater mountains, and from above, they may seem barren or uninviting. And yet from below? There is a whole universe begging to be found. Spot the likes of tuna, hammerhead, and white tip sharks, as well as the infamous grey reef shark. 

Meanwhile, over at the Daedalus Reef, you’ll find large coral formations, with spectacular deep underwater walls. There is also a tiny standalone island in the middle of it that hosts an almost 200-year-old lighthouse. 

In a nutshell

• Time of year: September
• Gay Liveaboard on the Nautilus Gallant Lady with 12 guests max.
• Diving: Coral reef and off-shore diving
• Note: Monthly payment plans available!

Hop onto the Nautilus Gallant Lady gay liveaboard and discover the southern Sea of Cortez. Also known as the Gulf of California, off the Mexican coast, Cortez is famous for its rocky reefs, picturesque beaches, and brilliantly blue waters.

This UnderseaX experience is a very intimate gay adventure from start to finish, with the fun beginning just moments from the trip’s commencement. The first dive is with sea lions and, trust us, it only gets better from there!

Over 7 days, you’ll visit the likes of Los Frailes, an incredible beach, to Cabo Pulmo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Famous diving sites like El Bajo will allow you to see hammerhead sharks and bull sharks, as well as flourishing coral reefs.

In a nutshell

• Time of year: October
• Accommodation: Staying at the four-star Pearl Resort
• Diving: Beqa Lagoon – The World’s #1 Shark Dive
• Note: Proceeds go to charitable organizations for people living with AIDS and other LGBTQ+ health concerns

Everyone has a daredevil streak in them, and this gay scuba vacation will get it out of you. Coined ‘The World’s #1 Shark Dive’, you’ll come close to up to 8 kinds of shark species. It might sound scary, but if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a sharp-tongued, tipsy drag queen doing stand-up, then this shark dive will be a walk in the park. 

This year marks the 29th Annual Diving for Life International Gay & Lesbian SCUBA Jamboree. What began as a simple fundraiser for those living with HIV/AIDs back in 1992, they continue to raise millions each year for the fight against the disease.

In a nutshell

• Time of year: December
• Accommodation: Staying at the four-star Manta Ray Bay Resort
• Diving: Boat dives including a mandarinfish dive and diving with manta rays
• Note: Pairs perfectly with the Palau trip (next entry in this post)

Yap, yap, yap, an island so fabulous, you’ll never stop yapping about it.

Located in the Pacific Island, Yap is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. During this gay scuba diving trip, you’ll discover the flourishing coral reefs and manta rays that surround the island, as well as immersing yourself in the Micronesian culture. Locals still dress in traditional clothing and giant discs known as stone money can be found dotted along the footpaths between villages. 

The UnderseaX gay expedition will see you visiting breathtaking diving sites around the region, where you’ll even enjoy a day diving with mandarinfish and have opportunities to dive with manta rays. Other days will see you heading to various other diving sites, so it always feels like you're finding new things to discover.

In a nutshell

• Time of year: January
• Gay Liveaboard onboard the Rock Islands Aggressor with 18 guests max.
• Diving: Day and night drift dives from a tender
• Note: Includes an excursion to the famous “Jellyfish Lake”

Christmas doesn’t need to be made up of dark nights and cold weather. Imagine spending the holiday season drifting through coral reefs or getting acquainted with some fishy friends.

Palau is a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean that is home to just 18,000 people. Though it may be small, it isn’t exempt from astonishing natural scenery and optimal diving opportunities.

This will be UnderseaX’s 12th gay scuba diving expedition to Palau and they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure this trip is one to remember. Returning to popular sites from previous trips like Blue Corner, Ulong Channel, and Big Dropoff, they’ll also be adding a few new locations to the mix, as well as the opportunity to swim with harmless jellyfish at the famous “Jellyfish Lake”!

There will also be an on-land tour around Peleliu, the battle place between the US and Japanese troops during WW2. Today, you can see the military remains in the island’s rocky caves and forests, plus underwater shipwrecks. 

In a nutshell

• Time of year: May
• Accommodation: Staying at comfortable beachfront resorts on 3 different islands
• Diving: Muck, wall, wreck and reef-diving plus possible night-dives
• Note: You can extend your experience with a trip to Malapascua Island

Every gay diving enthusiast dreams of exploring the Visayas. Make May the time where you make those dreams come true on this gay ”dive safari” by Rainbow Scuba.

For those who may not know, the Visayas are a group of islands in the central area of the Philippines. Travelers come here to see rocky formations, cavernous caves, iconic beaches, and of course, the incredible diving sites. Beneath the surface, you can expect to see the likes of magnificent reefs, friendly sea turtles, and tons of other maritime creatures. 

The gay scuba diving safari will see you take day trips out to diving areas, whilst fixing you up in luxurious resorts by night. You’ll have access to spa treatments and fun restaurant bars, as well as fabulous beaches that you can chill out on after a long day of diving.